Survey predicts cloud and mobile computing to dominate enterprise by 2015

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Job seekers looking for job security for the next five years would do well to move toward the cloud, according to a recently released IBM survey.

IBM’s annual global Tech Trends survey identified cloud computing and mobile application development as the most sought-after IT skills for the next five years, with 91 percent of respondents saying cloud computing will overtake on-premise computing as the primary IT delivery model by 2015.

Meanwhile, the survey also found 55 percent of respondents said the need to develop applications for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets will far surpass the development of software for traditional PC devices.

These trends will influence IT jobs and the determine the skills needed to do them, according to IBM.

Following cloud computing and mobile app development, the survey found social media, business analytics and industry-specific technologies will be the hottest IT career opportunities beginning in 2011.

IBM’s survey seems to conflict somewhat with a recent Gartner report examining the hype of technology trends. According to Gartner, cloud computing has just passed its peaked of inflated expectations and is headed down toward a trough of disillusionment. Gartner predicts it will take two to five years for cloud computing to reach mainstream adoption.